Reflection

My first project of the semester was a dive deep into the meaning behind “networks” in our day to day existence. In this presentation, I aim to find deeper meaning in “networks”, and take a look at how our perception of the world (our inner network) influences the networks that we become a part of in day to day life. I began with breaking down that exact mental facility that dictates our life: our thoughts. Our thoughts are powerful forces that we can control, and the more we exercise certain thoughts, the deeper the neural connections get. These then form “beliefs” and innate patterns that the brain can carry out without much electric signal. We begin to reprogram our mind as we exercise our mental facilities. Through our thoughts, we create an image for ourselves. The image of “who we are” and “what we represent” can be seen in real life: through what we wear, how we word things, etc. Specifically, in my exhibit I focus on how that perception translates onto online networks. We dictate the networks we become a part of based on how we not only view ourselves, but the world. I worked through this idea and broke it down in my exhibit to help my audience understand this point.

I define writing as using a tool and impressing it upon a substrate. This can be a pen to paper, a keyboard to internal software and screen, or anything that translates your inner thoughts onto a surface for reflection. Composition is the same impression, but it doesn’t have to be words necessarily. Composition can be in the form of music, a painting, etc. You can compose with more options for tools. This project in particular was a composition project. I not only had to focus on the rhetorical impact of my writing and word choice, but also the rhetorical impact of my design and layout. Each feature, font, color, and shape is translated into the mind of an audience member. These compositional features are then computed to, “easy to understand”, “unnecessary”, “confusing”, “helpful”, etc. depending on what they think about my piece. I think this represents an example of effective communication and design because my exhibit not only focuses on the written information, but also the effectiveness of the design itself. My design is in the shape of a neural connection. I explain neural connections and networks throughout my piece, but the design of it shows how your brain “currently” is working along neural connections. The actual design of the exhibit illustrates exactly the point I am trying to make. I see our class’ key term “network” relating to my exhibit because it expands an idea that we already know. We know how we interact with networks on a day to day basis. We see likeminded people, organizations, and groups all around and within our lives. My exhibit takes a step back to the whole network: reality. It focuses on how each individual perception (thoughts) of reality dictates the exact networks you encounter.

Click below for a link to my exhibit!

https://prezi.com/p/1abeyylhghrd/